Fishing apparatus



Marh 25, 1952 C, ||e MUTH 2,590,721

FISHING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 26, 1948 1N V EN TOR.

CHARLES H. MUT H.

Patented Mar. 25, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFIPCE- 2,590,721 IS'HNGAPPARATUS charles H. Muth, New York, N. Y. Application November 26,194s, serial No. 62,137 e-elainis. (c1. 13g-15)' This inventionrelates'to'fisl'iingv4 apparatus and', more particularly, to such"apparatus having" im-y proved automatic irieans for jerking or pullingthe line as soon as the fish bites in order' tosecurely hook the fish. jj

It is" Well known among anglers that successful shing depends' largely"upon the` split second timing required in jerking in the line as soon asthe fish nibblestat baitl so that Athe sh can be securelymhboked beforeit escapes'.

Accordingly itis anfobject of the invention to provide apparatus yofnsivmpleV design andconstruction for automatically jerking in the linesufliciently to hook thefsh', the apparatusV being actuatedby the tug onthe line cause by the fish itself in making a ,bite and, therebyeliminating the possibility of loss of thel sh by the delayed action ofthe angler in response to the bite of the fish. a

Another object of the inventionyis the provision of apparatus of thecharacter indicated having adjustablel control means for predeterminingthe minimum actuating tension of theapparatus so that not only will theapparatus be unresponsive to normaltugs of small magnitude suchV asmightv be occasioned by variations in wind and running current but, inaddition, can'y be made responsive'to the bites of sh withinA a' widerange of size and strength.- A

A further object of the inventionl is the provisionof apparatusV of thecharacter indicated which may be fabricatedas a-separate unit easily andrapidly attachable to fishing rod of con-v ventional construction.rangements have been previously proposed for accomplishing the resultcontemplated by the present invention, it does not appear that any ofthese previous proposals combinev the mode of operation, simplicity,efficiency and adjustability of the present invention with thepossibility of attachment of the apparatus to conventional fishing rodswithout' any modification of the rods whatsoever.

The foregoing objects as well as additional objects and advantages ofthe invention will be readily understood in the course of the followingdetailed description taken'in connection with the accompanying drawingillustrating two modifications of the invention, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the' embodiment of theinventionas an apparatus attachable to a conventional fishing rod.

Fig. 2 is a verticallongitudinal sectional view through the apparatus,the shing rod upon While numerous ar-lv j riage being shown at thelstart of its retracted motion as a result of a sizablev operative pullon the line. V H A j Fig. 5 is a similarview illustratingI thesubsequent retraction of the carriage and the operation of the carriagedetent.

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view takenalongline 6-6 of Fig. 4. v

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional of a modied form of theinvention.

Referring first tou Figs. 1-6- of the drawing it will be understood thatthe fishing rod IIJ- with which the apparatus may be associated isiofany conventional type and includesa iishing line II and a winding reelI2V to which said line is fastened.

The body of the device preferably comprises ai hollow member or tube I3which may be secured to the fishing rod IIIl infany suitable manner, asby means of one or more mounting brackets I4.l Within tube I3 is mounteda slidable carriage I5 which is normally urged rearwardly, i. e..in the'direction of the reel I2, by the action of a coil spring I6 secured atone endy to'the' saidA carriage and at its other end to the rear of tubeI3'. A

slot I9 in tube I3 to allow manual manipula`- tions of said carriage tothe' extended operative position of Fig. 2, as will be fully describedAn actuating lever 20 is pivoted as at 20a on carriage I5 intermediateits ends andl projects upwardly through a slot I9 of tube- I3Vvhereinafter.

and externally thereof for a suitable distance. The fishing line I I isfrictionally engaged against lever 20, as by means of a spring clip 2lmounted on said lever. If desired the tension of saidclip may beadjusted by means of a set screw (not shown) threaded into leverV 20.

Means are provided for' releasably engaging the carriage I5 and lever 20carried thereby inV the extended, operative position of Fig. 2-` and maytake' the form of a detent'22 pivotedA within 3 a housing 23 suitablyiixed to tube I3 and communicating therewith on the side opposite slotI9 adjacent the front end of said tube as shown clearly in Figs. 2, 4-and 5. Detent 22 may be urged upwardly within a recess 24 in theunderside of carriage I5 by means of a lightweight spring 25. A pin 26may be provided within housing 23 to limit the upward movement of detent22 when carriage I5 retracts, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

Lever 20 is preferably provided with a cam surface 21 which is disposedagainst the upper surface of detent 22 when said detent is engagedwithin the recess 24 of carriage I5 in the extended position of Fig. 2.However, a pull on the line II occasioned by the bite of a fish on thebaited hook H will move or trip lever 29 forwardly about its pivot 20a,thereby depressing detent 22 by the action of lever cam surface 2'Iuntil said detent clears the recess 24, as shown in Fig. 4, whereuponthe carriage I5 will be retracted. The retraction of carriage I5 carriesthe line II resulting in a quick pull or jerk on said line and the iishwill be securely hooked by the sudden retraction of the line before itcan escape.

An important feature of the invention is the provision of meansoperating against actuating lever 20 to prevent retraction of thecarriage I5 below a predetermined minimum tension on the fishing line.The unreeled line is continuously subjected to moderate fluctuatingtension by wind, current and the weight of the line itself. Thus it ishighly desirable to provide an arrangement for rendering such moderatetensions ineii'ective for tripping lever 20 and actuating carriage I5.The tension control member 28 may be formed integrally with a cap member29 closing the forward end of tube I3 and comprises a sleeve 30 carryinga plunger 3| adapted to be urged forwardly against the tension of aspring 32 by the action of the trip-lever 20 in response to a pull onthe line. Spring 32 is interposed between the enlarged head 3Ia ofplunger 3| and an adjustment screw 33 threadedly engaged within theforward end of sleeve 30. The effective pull or tension required toretract the carriage l5 by allowing lever 20 to depress detent 22 willtherefore be determined by a simple adjustment of screw 33. Theadjustment of said screw will depend upon the particular conditionsencountered While fishing and upon the type of fishing and upon the typeof fish being caught.

The operation of the apparatus is now readily apparent, it beingunderstood that the carriage may be advanced to the extended operativeposition of Fig. 2 by means of the projecting grip I8. The bite of aiish on hook H resulting in a pull on line I I will trip lever 20,depressing detent 22 and the carriage will be retracted by spring I6.The sudden pull or jerk on line II will securely hook the fish before itcan escape. After the carriage I5 has been retracted the line may bepulled in in the usual manner by means of the winding reel I2.

It is to be understood that the modification of Figs. 1-6 may beincorporated, if desired, directly in a fishing rod as a unitarystructure rather than as a separate unit for attachment thereto.

The modification of Fig. 7 illustrates the invention incorporated in afishing rod as a unitary structure. 4I) denotes a tubular portion of therod adjacent the handle (not shown) within which a carriage 4I isslidable. Carriage 4I is preferably formed with cylindrical end sections4Ia and an intermediate section 4Ib provided with a vertical slot forretaining a trip-lever 42 pivoted as at 43 and said carriage is normallyurged rearwardly by the action of a coil spring 44 placed under tensionand secured at its rear end to the rear end of tube 40. The lower end oflever 42 rests against the upper surface of a detent-lever 45 pivoted at45a to section 4Ib and normally urged upwardly to the position of Fig.'7 by means of a leaf spring 4B fastened to end section 4Ia of carriage4I. When carriage 4I is advanced within tube 40 it is releasablyretained in advanced position by means of a transverse slot 4'I in thebottom of said tube against the end of which slot the rear end ofdetent-lever 45 rests. It will be understood that carriage 4I may beadvanced by means of a grip 48 projecting upwardly through alongitudinal slot 49 formed in tube 40. The shing rod is also providedwith a winding reel and line (not shown), the line being heldfrictionally against trip-lever 42 by means of a clip 42a in a mannersimilar to that described for the initial embodiment. A tension controlmember 28a is mounted on tube 40 and operates in a similar manner tocontrol member 28 to determine the minimum tension or pull in the linerequired to actuate the triplever 42. Thus when the fish bites, lever 42is tilted forwardly to depress detent-lever 45 thereby raising the rearend of said detent lever clear of the retaining slot 4'I whereuponcarriage 4I suddenly retracts and pulls upon the line to securely hookthe fish.

Since certain modifications may be made in the apparatus of theinvention without departing from lthe scope thereof, it is intended thatall matter contained in the foregoing description and shown in theaccompanying drawing be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a fishing rod having a winding reel and a fishingline, a device attachable thereto, said device comprising a hollowtubular member having a longitudinal slot therein, a carriage slidablewithin said member, a spring normally tending to retract said carriage,a spring-urged detent pivotally carried by the tubular member andreleasably retaining said carriage in advanced position, a trippinglever denly retract said carriage and line to securely hook the iish.

2. In combination with a fishing rod having a winding reel and a shingline, a device attachable thereto, said device comprising a hollowtubular member having a longitudinal slot therein, a carriage slidablewithin said member. a spring normally tending to retract said carriage,a spring-urged detent pivotally carried by the tubular member andreleasably retaining said carriage in advanced position, a trippinglever pivoted to said carriage and movable against said detent, clipmeans mounted on said lever for frictionally engaging said fishing lineand adjustable control means acting against said lever forpredetermining the minimum operative tension required for lactuatingsaid lever, said control means comprising a sleeve fixed to said tubularmember, a plunger within said sleeve adapted to resist the forwardmotion of said lever, a spring normally urging said plunger outwardlytowards said lever, and an adjustable screw bearing against said springto vary the tension thereof.

3. In combination with a fishing rod having a winding reel and a shingline, a hollow tubular member having a longitudinal slot therein, acarriage slidable within said member, a spring normally tending toretract said carriage, a springurged detent pivotally mounted on saidcarriage for releasably retaining said carriage in advanced position, asecond slot in said tubular member, the wall of said second slot adaptedto retain the end of said detent, a tripping lever pivoted to saidcarriage and movable against said detent, clip means mounted on saidlever for frictionally engaging said fishing line and adjustable controlmeans acting against said lever for predetermining the minimum operativetension for actuating said lever.

4. A structure in accordance with claim 3, said control means comprisinga sleeve xed to said tubular member, a plunger within said sleeveadapted to resist the forward motion of said lever, a spring normallyurging said plunger outwardly toward said lever, and an adjustable screwbearing against said spring to vary the tension thereof.

5. A fishing rod comprising a Winding reel, a

fishing line, a hollow tubular member having a 30 longitudinal slottherein, a carriage member slidable within said tubular member, a springnormally tending to retract said carriage, a

spring-urged detent pvotally mounted on one of said members andreleasably retaining said carriage in advance position, a tripping leverpivoted to said carriage and movable against said detent, clip meansmounted on said lever for frictionally engaging said fishing line andadjustable control means acting against said lever for predeterminingthe minimum operative tension required for actuating said lever, wherebytension exerted on said line by a biting'iish in excess of saidpredetermined operative tension will actuate said tripping lever andsuddenly retract said carriage and line to securely hook the fish. y

6. A fishing rod in accordance with claim 5, said control meanscomprising a sleeve fixed to said tubular member, a plunger within saidsleeve adapted to resist 'the forward motion of said lever, a springnormally urging said plunger outwardly toward said lever, and anadjustable screw bearing against said spring to vary the tensionthereof.

CHARLES H. MUTH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

